What Is an OPA Service?
The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) set a new bar for spill prevention, preparedness, and response in U.S. waters. An OPA service translates those mandates into an operational system—compliant plans, designated decision-makers, pre-contracted responders, trained personnel, staged equipment, and documentation that withstands inspections and claims reviews. The goal is practical readiness: prevent spills where possible, and respond fast and effectively when minutes matter.
Core Components You Need in Place
1) Response Planning (VRP/NTVRP/FRP).
A complete program includes Vessel Response Plans (VRP), Nontank VRPs (NTVRP), and Facility Response Plans (FRP). These documents quantify worst-case discharge (WCD), identify sensitive resources, define time-to-scene targets, and spell out tactics—booming strategies, skimmer capacity, temporary storage, shoreline protection, and communications. A mature OPA service authors, submits, and maintains these plans in alignment with Area Contingency Plans (ACPs) and the National Contingency Plan (NCP).
2) Qualified Individual (QI) and Incident Management Team (IMT).
OPA 90 requires a 24/7 QI with authority to obligate funds and activate resources immediately. Your partner provides the QI plus a scalable IMT—Operations, Planning, Logistics, Finance/Admin, and Public Information—ready to integrate with the Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC) under the Incident Command System (ICS).
3) OSRO and SMFF Coverage.
Plans must list Oil Spill Removal Organizations (OSROs) and Salvage & Marine Firefighting (SMFF) capability under 33 CFR 155 Subpart I. Your OPA service vets responder capacity (open water, nearshore, fast water, cold weather), verifies equipment counts and mobilization times, and executes sub-agreements so booms, skimmers, tugs, firefighting gear, divers, lightering teams, and wildlife specialists are actually available when called.
4) COFR Management.
A Certificate of Financial Responsibility (COFR) is mandatory. The provider tracks expirations, fleet changes, and insurer updates to keep filings clean and avoid port entry disruptions.
Drills, Exercises, and Crew Competency
Paper plans don’t stop oil—people do. A credible OPA service runs PREP-aligned exercises (National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program) that include:
- Notification drills confirming 24/7 QI/OSRO activation and escalation paths.
- Table-top exercises that stress ICS roles, decision trees, and WCD scenarios.
- Equipment deployments to test booming, skimmer throughput, temporary storage, and shoreline tactics.
- Unannounced drills mirroring regulator practice.
Every event generates an After-Action Report with corrective actions and owners, tracked to closure. Crew modules cover notifications, safety, SCAT (Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique), wildlife considerations, decontamination, and waste segregation.
Environmental Tactics and Sensitive-Area Protection
OPA emphasizes protecting fisheries, wetlands, cultural sites, and subsistence resources. Robust services compile tactical playbooks mapped to ACPs:
- Tiered booming (primary, secondary, exclusion) for inlets, marinas, and industrial intakes.
- Cold-weather/ice procedures—ice-capable booms, heated transfer lines, reduced daylight operations.
- Countermeasure decision frameworks (where authorized) for dispersants or in-situ burning, with monitoring and sampling plans.
- Wildlife response integration—hazing, capture, stabilization, and release.
Pre-staging boom, pumps, power, and storage near risk hotspots compresses the first-hour timeline, when containment is most effective.
Documentation, Claims, and Cost Control
OPA 90 places a premium on defensible records. Your provider standardizes ICS forms, electronic 214 logs, timekeeping, equipment use, geospatial mapping, drone/overflight imagery, and waste manifests. That rigor:
- Builds regulator and trustee confidence.
- Speeds insurer reimbursement.
- Enables access to the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (OSLTF) if the responsible party is unknown, unwilling, or unable to pay.
- Streamlines third-party claims (property damage, economic loss, subsistence use).
Strong documentation shortens disputes and keeps focus on cleanup, not paperwork.
Coastal, Inland, and Alaska Nuances
OPA readiness must reflect operating reality:
- Coastal/Offshore (USCG-led): Port traffic, offshore recovery systems, marine firefighting, and shoreline protection dominate.
- Inland (EPA-led): Pipelines, tank farms, fast-water dynamics, flood behavior, and access constraints drive tactics.
- Alaska/Arctic & Sub-Arctic: Ice, limited daylight, sparse infrastructure, and wildlife sensitivities often require aviation support and Alternative Planning Criteria (APC). A seasoned partner drafts APCs, secures approvals, and validates capabilities annually.
Technology That Speeds Decisions
Modern OPA programs use a common operating picture that fuses AIS, tides, wind, satellite/radar weather, drone feeds, and resource tracking. Live dashboards show boom lengths deployed, skimmer GPM, recovered volumes, waste streams, and responder locations—reducing radio congestion and tightening decision loops. Satellite comms preserve ICS continuity when cellular networks fail; UAS overflights verify booming effectiveness and map shoreline impact in low light.
What Happens When the Phone Rings
- Activation: QI triggers notifications and orders OSRO/SMFF assets.
- IMT spin-up: Virtual within minutes; on-site ICP as needed. Roles fill from pre-assigned depth charts.
- Source control: Transfer/lightering, cofferdams, hot taps, dewatering, temporary power.
- Containment & recovery: Tiered booming, skimming, temporary storage, shoreline ops; wildlife teams engage early.
- Logistics: Vessels, aircraft, fuel, PPE, lodging, and meals for expanding forces.
- Planning & safety: Trajectory modeling, Incident Action Plans, job hazard analyses, operational periods.
- Finance/claims: Real-time cost capture, vendor control, OSLTF coordination if warranted.
- Public information: Unified messaging with agencies to maintain trust and reduce rumor.
Early, decisive action shrinks spill size, shortens cleanup, and lowers total cost and liability.
Choosing the Right OPA Service Partner
Evaluate capability—not just price:
- Nationwide OSRO/SMFF networks with verified time-to-scene.
- 24/7 watch centers with redundancy, multilingual coverage, and surge staffing.
- Exercise pedigree, including unannounced drill performance and a culture of closing corrective actions.
- Regulatory credibility with USCG sectors, EPA regions, and state agencies.
- Transparent billing/claims support with auditable digital timekeeping.
- Relevant case studies (WCD drills, cold-weather operations, shoreline campaigns, pipeline or terminal events).
Ask for equipment inventories, mobilization timelines, mutual-aid agreements, and references for missions similar to yours.
Bottom Line
An effective OPA service converts statutory mandates into a living readiness system: current plans, a 24/7 QI, a deep IMT bench, vetted OSRO/SMFF contracts, disciplined drills, pre-staged gear, and tech that cuts decision time. When minutes matter, that system activates without hesitation—containing spills faster, protecting sensitive shorelines and communities, and reducing total cost and risk.
